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| 4/10/2010 6:00:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | Renewable energy saves Rec Center costs
 | Bobbe Jones
POWERFUL SOLUTIONS
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Part two of this two-part series discusses the fourth project initiated by the city of Cortez to address energy efficiency and conservation while keeping the well-being of city residents in mind.
Working together, Cortez officials successfully achieved their goal to provide long-term energy management at the Cortez Recreation Center. A renewable energy resource and system upgrades will save the City of Cortez $30,040 annually in utility costs and lessen the impact on the environment.
The Cortez Recreation Center is a locally operated 46,000 square foot building located in Parque de Vida. The state-of-the-art facility houses a competition lap pool, family pool, resistance pool, tube slide, fitness area, gymnasium, racquetball courts, child watch facility, rock wall and additional rooms for exercise classes and community activities. Six full-time employees and over 30 part-time employees staff the facility and provide quality services to 1,129 members and hundreds of visitors.
The Center offers healthy options to its members; the only problem is the significant water heating costs attached to this benefit. While researching ways to reduce energy costs, city officials discovered a valuable funding source and an energy service company to help achieve this goal.
Good timing and a collaborative effort by city officials resulted in a financially backed sustainable project. The key players in this effort are: City Manager Jay Harrington and Grants & Special Projects Administrator Chris Burkett who completed the Mineral and Energy Impact Assistance Grant application. Parks and Recreation Director Dean Palmquist and the Operations Coordinator Dan Jones who created the capital improvement plan to help determine the center's energy needs and accepted bids from technical energy auditors that could implement energy measures to produce long term savings. General Services Director Rick Smith helped with the performance contract. Harrington and Cortez Mayor Orly Lucero presented the grant and sealed the deal.
An energy grant offered by the State of Colorado through the Department of Local Affairs provides $425,000 or half of the project's estimated cost of $850,127. The remainder will be paid out of the Cortez Recreation Center's maintenance fund.
"State funding helped make this project possible on a much larger scale than could have happened without it," Palmquist says, "the city has benefited because the GEO supports energy efficiency efforts like this one."
McKinstry, an energy service company or ESCO, provided a technical energy audit focused on reducing the Center's energy consumption. During the first phase, McKinstry supplied estimated costs and savings using its recommended system upgrades and new technologies.
City officials reviewed options and made their selections. System upgrades will provide energy savings of 15 to 20 percent each year with a 13-year simple payback. This translates to the city saving $32,380 per year: $12,000 in natural gas, $17,500 in electric savings, and $2,340 in operational and maintenance cost savings.
Next Generation Energy installed 96 solar panels on the Center's south facing roof that supplement heating for both domestic and pool water and reduces the load on natural gas-fired atmospheric boilers. This technology uses a heat-transfer fluid (glycol) moving from the solar panels to a circulating pump and heat exchanger centrally located on the second floor. Water is heated at a rate of 30 gallons per minute and is used in three separate locations. When the temperatures are satisfied at one location, heat is dispersed to additional locations.
Heat is moved from the main domestic water system to the leisure pool. When this pool reaches a comfortable 86-87 degrees, the third system kicks in to heat the domestic and lap pool to 80-82 degrees. The separate systems are designed to automatically transfer heat as needed.
"Peak sun hours in the winter vary from 3 to 5 hours per day, while the summer hours can extend to 12 hours per day," Jones says. "Water temperatures heat up faster in the summer and require less energy to reach requirements."
System upgrades include a lighting redesign that addresses an under lit pool area. The natatorium has T-8 high efficiency fluorescent fixtures placed to improve maintenance accessibility and reduce energy costs. Occupancy sensors are installed in the restrooms, office area and other rooms to prevent lighting unoccupied areas.
Three variable-frequency drives added to two pool pumps and the gymnasium save on energy usage. The pool pump drives reduce flow during the night when the pools are not in use. The VFD in the gymnasium air handling unit reduces fan speed in partial load conditions.
Air heating was upgraded to include; a single HVAC control system placed on the existing IT network so trained maintenance staff can access, modify or troubleshoot the system; and a heat recovery unit added to the air unit in the Center's locker rooms to condition the incoming ventilation air.
The City of Cortez effectively reduced its carbon footprint and improved the delivery of consistent heat at the Cortez Recreation Center with a renewable resource and system upgrades. Community members will soon be able to view both the cumulative and immediate energy savings at the Center with a kiosk to be placed near the entrance.
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